Elias Legarde

Elias Legarde (1593-1670) was a Sephardic Jew who was the first Jewish inhabitant of the Thirteen Colonies.

Biography
Elias Legarde was born in Languedoc, France in 1593, and he arrived in James City, Virginia in 1621 aboard the HMS Abigail, becoming an indentured servant. He taught the colonists how to grow grapes for wine, and he lived in the colony until his death in 1670.